Storm causes widespread damage in Lethbridge

A trailer is seen flipped over onto its roof in Lethbridge. The community was hit hard by a heavy storm that brought high winds and lots of hail on July 17, 2013.

A huge storm on Wednesday night took many Lethbridge residents by surprise and caused lots of damage.

Dozens of trailers were damaged at an RV park near the County of Lethbridge Airport and strong winds blew down large trees and fences in other areas.

The wind gusts, that topped 140 km/h per hour, damaged the garage door of a show home tore off a section of its roof.

Residents say the storm didn’t last long, but they had to deal with minor flooding due to the heavy rain and hail.

“All of a sudden it hit, and it was just white with hail and wind,” John Jacobson said.

Peter McNally, who lives in west Lethbridge, marveled at the damage the short storm caused. “I mean, there’s trailers flipped over, uh, debris everywhere. And the streets were basically flooded.”

Another resident said it was extremely dangerous to be outside with all the debris. “A lot of things flying around - large things. We watched portapotties falling over and trailers tumbling and things blowing around outside,” said Jen Orr.

There have been no reports of injuries.

Lethbridge residents will get a break from the rain on Thursday, but winds are still expected to be pretty stiff, near 50 km/h.